Region 7-1A boys golf: Pine School falls just short of berth in state finals

PALM BEACH GARDENS — The Pine School's boys golf team will have to wait at least another year to reach its first state tournament.

The Knights finished fourth in the Region 7-1A tournament at Old Marsh on Tuesday. The top two teams and the top two individuals not on those teams advance to the FHSAA Finals at Mission Inn Resort and Club in Howey-in-the-Hills next week.

St. Andrew's won the region by shooting a 291, while Benjamin (294) was the runner-up. Pine School shot a 321 — one stroke behind King's Academy.

"We've talked about our guys having A, B and C games. They all showed up with their C game — or worse," Pine School coach Arlen Bento Jr. said. "It was just one of those things when you wake up and you don't have it.

"We were hoping that somebody like Benjamin, Cardinal Newman or St. Andrew's or King's would struggle (Tuesday) and that we would play well. We knew they would have to play poorly for us to sneak in, but after six or seven holes it was clear that none of us were playing well."

For the second week in a row, freshman Jake Holt led Pine School. Holt shot a 3-over par 75 — he was at even-par until a triple bogey on his 17th hole.

"Jake Holt did a really good job of holding it together," Bento Jr. said. "He played well, Nick Gagliardi played well. He started poorly, but he really held it together. ... We were hoping someone would get hot, but only Jake was able to keep it going."

Pine School does not have any seniors on its roster and Bento Jr. consistently has maintained the team has not yet reached its peak.

"We're going to continue to get better," Bento Jr. said. "As a group we'll have our season recap and one of the things we'll be discussing is what we need to get better."

Lincoln Park finished eighth with a team score of 365. Jeremy Feil paced the Greyhounds with a 78.

"We played pretty good, but it was tough out there," Lincoln Park coach John Boltersdorf said. "Jeremy Feil played well, but he missed a few shots. Overall we played OK. ... On that course, if you hit the greens, you'll be OK. But you have to make your putts and we didn't do a very good job of that."